PLACE(People,Land,Art,CultureandEnvironment)inthe

Biosphereisatwoyearpartnershipproject.

PLACEintheBiospherehasinvolvedthreecontrasting

landscapeswithintheGallowayandSouthernAyrshire

UNESCOBiosphere:theBorguePeninsula;theWigtownshire

Moors;andtheStincharValley.Theywereselectedduetotheir

distinctivelandscapecharacterandthedesireoflocal

communitiestoengagemorewiththeirlocalnaturaland

culturalheritage.

ThePLACEprojecthasfacilitatedaseriesofeventsand

activitiesaimingtobuildagreaterunderstandingand

awarenessofeachindividualcommunity'sowncharacteristic

heritageandspecialqualities.

Throughworkingwithcommunities,thePLACEproject

celebratesboththeindividualityandtheconnectivityofsome

ofthecommunitiesthattogetherformourUNESCOBiosphere.

ThispamphletistheresultoftheengagementofPLACEintern

KatyEwingwithcommunitiesofColmonellintheStinchar

Valley,usingthewordsofthosewhoknowtheriverat

Colmonelltocreateauniquepieceofart-a'poeticstory'.

TheStincharat

Colmonell

Apoeticstoryoftheriver

inthewordsofthose

whoknowit.

TheStincharat

Colmonell

Apoeticstoryoftheriver

inthewordsofthose

whoknowit.

1

TheStincharatColmonell:apoeticstory

PLACE(People,Land,Art,CultureandEnvironment)

intheBiosphereisatwoyearpartnershipproject

fundedjointlybyHeritageLottery,D&GCouncil,South

AyrshireCouncil,theGallowayandSouthernAyrshire

BiosphereandSouthernUplandsPartnershipthat

runsfromMay2018toMay2020.

ManagedbytheSouthernUplandsPartnership,

PLACEintheBiosphereisrunningacrossthree

contrastinglandscapeswithintheGallowayand

SouthernAyrshireUNESCOBiosphere:theBorgue

Peninsula;theWigtownshireMoors;andtheStinchar

Valley.Theycovertwolocalauthorityareasandwere

selectedduetotheirdistinctivelandscapecharacter

andthedesireoflocalcommunitiestoengagemore

withtheirlocalnaturalandculturalheritage.

Insummer2019,artistandwriterKatyEwingworked

asaninternonthePLACEproject,focusedonthe

StincharValleylandscapearea.

This‘poeticstory’oftheriverStincharatColmonell

wascreatedbyKatyusingtheresponsesofpeople

whoknowtherivertoaseriesofquestionswhich

wereaskedonsocialmediaandatprominentsocial

2

venuesinColmonellbetweenthe8thandthe23rdof

August2019,aswellasataseriesofmeetingsand

eventsattendedbylocalpeople.

Thequestionsaskedwere:

1.Tellmethemostexcitingthingthatyou’veseen,

heardorfeltattheStincharatColmonell

2.Tellmeaboutthefirst(oranearly)memoryyou

haveoftheriver

3.Whatwouldyoumissmostabouttheriverifyou

wereneverabletogotoitagain?

33separatewrittensubmissionswerereceived,many

anonymous,somewithnames.Nowordshavebeen

changed.Thesymbol'~'representsaseparation

betweencontributions.PleaseenjoythePoeticStory

andmanythankstoallcontributors!

3

'Riverbank,Colmonell',K.E.

StillfromdronefootageprovidedbyAyrshireRiversTrust

4

TheStincharatColmonell:apoeticstory

~

Ilookeddownthevalley

atascenereminiscent

ofanancientvolcaniclandscape,

themistyvagueness

ofthedarkmount

givingmeasense

ofstraddlinggeologicalages.

~

I’dstudiedmapstoknow

theStinchar’scourse,

thevalley’sform.Atfirst,

itwasjustseeninglimpses

throughcarwindows,

crossedbybridgeafterbridge,

andtalkedaboutasagleamingribbon

seenfromthehillsabove,everchanging.

WhenIfinallyleftthecar

andalonewalkedtheriverbank

fromCraigneilBridge,

Ilookedbackthroughthedrizzle

attheruinedtower

andKnockdolianhill,

risinglikeimagesfromfairytale.

~

5

RiverStinchar

Yourwildforce,yourhiddenanger,

yourbrutepower

asyouburstthebanksthatholdyou.

ThisisthefaceIonlyseeofyouwildStinchar

onthelongwinterdays

Whenthesunneverrisesoverthehorizon

Whenthebitterrainbeatsdownwithoutpause

Whenthehowlingwindroarsofyourpain

Youbreakfreeandengulfthelandaroundyou

Whoarewe,meremortals

whothinkwecantameyou?

Whoarewe,helplessandtrapped

behindyourragingflow?

AsIwatchfromthewindows

ofthehousethatholdsme

Safeinitsarmsfornow

Willyouletmepassthroughyourtorrents?

Willyoushowmemercyatall?

6

WhenIsitonyourgreenandgrassybanks

onthelazydaysofsummer

Withyourquietandgracefulflow

Iforgetthebeastwithinyou

Waiting,watching,within.

Ibowdowntoyou,wildStinchar.

Nature'swilddaughter,heartofourvalley.

Nevertamed,alwaysloved.

~

'Stinchar,Colmonell',K.E.

7

Dogotteratdawn

OntheDubPool

Colmonell

~

Midgesorno,ifhe'snotathome

he'llbeontheriverintheevening.

~

"Jumpinquick!"hecalled.

"Getthenet.It'sa20pounder!!"

andIwastooscaredtoplunge

intothedeepdarkbridgepool–

meinmywellies–heinchest-waders!

Ialwaysremember

theonethatgotaway!

~

minnow,smolt,parr,kelt,

barofsilver,cockandhen,

kype,eggs,spawn,fry,roe–

thelanguageofsalmonfishers.

~

8

1960s–leaningoverBallantraebridge

andclearlyseeingthirtyormore

bigsalmonlyingbelow,

waitingforraintobringtheriverup

sotheycouldmaketheirway

upstreamtospawn.

(Suchbignumbersnowlonggone).

AndswimmingintheCraigpool,

aschildren,withsomanygreatfish

(probablytrappedthere)

thatwefeltthem

brushingpastourlegs!

Themostexciting(ordramatic,anyway)

wasseeingawholefullgrowntree

goingdownriverinahugeflood,

crashingloudlyintobranches

ontheriverbankasitwentpast.

Itwastwoorthreeyearsago–Ibelieve

itgotstuckatColmonellbridge!

~

Daysofthedogotter

attheDub

9

'Oystercatcher,Hair'sTook',H.E.

'Herons'nest,CraigPool',H.E.

10

~

MoonabovetheCraigneilCastle,

shimmersontheblackpoolwater

Deercomedowntodrinkatdawn.

Riverpathwithroedeertoetracks.

Rocktorockcalloystercatchers.

Precariousplatforms–

heronsnestinginthetreetops.

Littlestarrypurslanestucked

intotheshadowsofthetreeroots.

Ottertracksinsandybanking.

Caterpillarchompsthebalsam–

wishhewolfedthelotofit.

Dipperswimming,mayfliesrising.

Heaven.

~

11

rapidrainfall

raisesrunningriver

andrevisesradically

ruralriparianreaches

byHowardWilkinson

~

IwasborninColmonell

andhavelivedhereallmylife.

Iwalkalongtheriverbank

mostdayswithmydog

whichsheloves

asshecanrunfree

althoughshe'snotkeenonwater

lotsofothersenjoytheirswim.

Thereareacoupleofherons,

pheasantsanddeer.

Youcanhearthecuckoo

atcertaintimes.

12

Ihavefondmemories

ofspendingtime

downtheriveraskids

withourfishingnets

catchingminnowsandeels

orjustguddlinginburn

seeingwhatwasunder

stonesandrocks.

Wealwayscamehomewet!!!

Sadlytimeshavechanged

youneverseekids

muckingabouttoday,

unsupervisedanyhow.

WithCraigNeilCastle

andKnockdolianinsight

youcanseetherain

comingupthevalley

overKnockdolian

timetogetamoveon

togethomedry.

~

13

AmItheonlyperson

tofindafreshwateroyster

intheStinchar?

Iwasapproximately13,

theChapmanswere

inFordCottage,theriver

wasfrozenover,

Ispottedsomething

throughtheice.

ThinkingitmightbeaToby,

Ibroketheicetofind

afreshwateroyster.

Therewasnopearl!

AmItheonlyperson

tofindone?

byD.Robertson

~

14

'Colmonellbridgeandcowparsley',H.E.

15

StillfromdronefootageprovidedbyAyrshireRiversTrust

StillfromdronefootageprovidedbyAyrshireRiversTrust

16

Lookingdown

ontheriver

frommyhome

astheseasonschange

IlovehowtheStinchar

revealsitself.

Smallglimpsesofit

shimmering

canbeseenrightnow

throughthetrees,

butasSummer

turnstoAutumn

andtheleaves

onthetrees

thatshieldtheriverfall

itcomesintoitsown.

Bright,glisteningandalive.

Ihaveseenitatitsgentlest

andatitsmostpowerful

whenitspillsout

acrossthefields

thatlineit...ariver

ofextremes.

~

17

TheStincharandMe

Twelveyearsold

Movingoutofmuch–lovedhome

Whereto?

Poundland(Pinlantosome)

intheStincharValley

WHATvalley?

Neverheardofit!!

Soonwonover.

BrotherNeilrenamescottage“Riverview”

TheStinchar–

Sometimesstill,

Sometimesripplinggentlyoverstones,

Sometimesraging.

Spateriver.

Fieldsawashasfarastheeyecansee–

“Lochview”,morelike.

Flora–

Greatwildflowerspecimens

ButBeware!

Wavinggrassescanconcealinsects

whichleaveuscoveredinnasty,painfulbites

Lowwater

wadeacross–onceonly–

Shortcuttowhatistobe

MyfirstmaritalhomeatBardrochat.

18

Newhusband,keenangler

Whitlingjumping,

Seatroutandsalmonlurking

IntheDubpool.

Then,onBardrochatbank

nearColmonellbridge

adog,hateswater,

yetagitated,yelping,

jumpsintothewaterandswims

torescuemaster,waisthighinwater

(Heinwaders,rodinhand!Awaterrat!)

Knockdolian:

Belowthecastle,theMermaidStone,

Splitasunder.

TheTwinsPool,

Whereaflashofblueisakingfisher

Dartingintoaholeintheriverbank.

Upstream,afootbridge

gateinthemiddlelockedonNewYear’sDay

-it'snoRightofWay.

Wonderfulreflectionsoftreesclad

inautumncoloursinthehousepool.

Anticsofthedippersmakemelaugh.

Incontrast–

Memoriesofabereavedfamily,

andasadoldgardener

19

ScatteringofashesintheMermaidPool.

Rosepetalsfloatinggentlyondarkwater,

alonepiperonthefootbridge

Afewmilesupstream

backwhereIbegan:

Ashesscattered(notthefirst)

intheSmiddyPool,Poundland

somemaytravelfar,butalwaysholddear,

memoriesoftheStincharanditsvalley.

byElsieMcLachlan

~

20

Feetofpilgrimscrossingthefords,

leadingtothewallssoaked

intheprayersofsaints

overthecenturies.

~

Thedelightofafisherman

whenseeingtheheroninapool

sonooneelsehasbeenthere

beforehimorher–

excepttheheron!!

~

Lifestream

linkinglives

Feedinglives

enrichinglives

~

Initonit

underitaboveit

thegloryofnature

~

Constancy

21

'Unclearbatcircling',K.E.

22

~

OnthebankbyGilbert’shut,

wewatchedadaytimebat

circling,flutteringabove

theheavypeatywater,

feastingintheshelter

ofthetrees.Itried

tophotographit

whiletheotherstalked,

butitwastooquick!

Weclimbedthewooden

staircasetohigherthan

thebat’sflightanddranktea

onthebalcony,talkedabout

theriver,itspast,itsfuture.

~

Stinchar–theribbonoflife

throughthevalley.

~

Dangeroftorrentstakingsheep

~

23

Lesssalmon,

lessvisitingfishermen,

lessneedforB&B.

Thebeautifulriverremains,

soletimaginationlead

tootheractivities.

Art,photography,walking,

cycling,explorethelandscape.

~

Powernobundingcanstop

~

Daysbeforebridges

fordsandferries

~

Themeetingsoftherivers

~

Ragingriver

Lashingrain

shelteringtrees

Augustapples

24

~

Kingfisherflittingalongthebank

~

Pooldeepanddark

likeamirror

withflecksoffoam

slowlydriftingby

~

Ahugesalmon

onthelineofananglerdragging

himupanddownthewater

whowouldtirefirst?

~

Itissopeacefulandever-changing

bothbecauseofrainfall

andtheseasonsitis

greatfunforfamilyoutings

aswellasbeingperfectfor

‘me’timeandquietreflection

byHowardWilkinson

~

25

Thefloodingoftheriver,

overthefields

Aheronstanding

as‘kingoftheriver’

~

Swimminginthesummersun

throwingrocksandhearingthem

clatteroverthefrozenwater

~

‘Themermaid’sstone’

knownlocally

wastoldasakid

-amermaidusedtosit

andsingonthisstone

I’msurethereisapoem

writtenaboutthis.

~

26

Iswamorpaddledintheriverasachild

rememberbeingasunnysummer’sday

andafewofus‘sneaked’downtotheriver

withoutourparents’permission.

Asachildnotbeingawareofthedangers

andenjoyingthefunwithfriends.

~

Iwouldmissthepeaceandtranquillity

theriverbringsonwalksalongit.

Listeningtothewater,thebirds

andothernaturearoundabout.

~

FromallthatI’veseen

thereisanintricate

andvariedlandscape

shapedbytheriver'sinfluence,

muchstillseeminglywild

andlittleused.Iwouldmiss

thechancetoexplore

thecreaturethatmade

theseplaces.

27

~

I’dmissthewoodedvalley,

thetreesthatclothethebanks.

I’dmissthesoundofwater

runningoverstones

andwishI’dbeenable

togoinandswim.

~

ifIcouldn'tsee,hear,smell,

touch,visittheriver

mysenseswoulddryup

andmylifewouldbeincomplete.

28

'Stinchar,belowCraigneil',H.E.

ManythankstoH.Ellisfortheimagesonpages9,14and28andto

theAyrshireRiversTrustforthedronefootageusedforstillson

pages3and15.Allotherimagesarebyme,K.Ewing

PLACE(People,Land,Art,CultureandEnvironment)inthe

Biosphereisatwoyearpartnershipproject.

PLACEintheBiospherehasinvolvedthreecontrasting

landscapeswithintheGallowayandSouthernAyrshire

UNESCOBiosphere:theBorguePeninsula;theWigtownshire

Moors;andtheStincharValley.Theywereselectedduetotheir

distinctivelandscapecharacterandthedesireoflocal

communitiestoengagemorewiththeirlocalnaturaland

culturalheritage.

ThePLACEprojecthasfacilitatedaseriesofeventsand

activitiesaimingtobuildagreaterunderstandingand

awarenessofeachindividualcommunity'sowncharacteristic

heritageandspecialqualities.

Throughworkingwithcommunities,thePLACEproject

celebratesboththeindividualityandtheconnectivityofsome

ofthecommunitiesthattogetherformourUNESCOBiosphere.

ThispamphletistheresultoftheengagementofPLACEintern

KatyEwingwithcommunitiesofColmonellintheStinchar

Valley,usingthewordsofthosewhoknowtheriverat

Colmonelltocreateauniquepieceofart-a'poeticstory'.

TheStincharat

Colmonell

Apoeticstoryoftheriver

inthewordsofthose

whoknowit.